Soft Sandwich Loaf – No Sugar or Honey Needed!

Directions

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the yeast and lukewarm water. Let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
• Add the flour, butter, salt, and milk.
  With a stand mixer: Mix on speed 2 for 6–8 minutes, pausing every couple of minutes to add 1 tbsp of flour (no more than 5 tbsp total). The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl and pass the windowpane test — elastic and translucent before snapping.
  By hand: Stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes, adding small dustings of flour as needed. The dough should be smooth, soft, and slightly sticky, but able to hold a shape.
• Lightly flour your bench. Tip the dough out with a spatula, dust the top, and knead gently for a further 1–2 minutes, adding just enough flour to shape into a rough round. The dough will still be sticky and soft.
• Grease a proofing bowl with olive oil. Transfer dough into the bowl, cover, and let rise for 1–2 hours until doubled in size.
• Punch down the dough, then tip onto your bench. Stretch into a rectangle, fold the sides into the middle lengthwise, then fold top and bottom to the center. Flip seam-side down. Using as minimal flour as possible and a rolling pin, roll lengthwise into a 12–13 inch rectangle (keep the width smaller than your loaf pan). Roll up tightly from the top to bottom, like a scroll —The dough is sticky so work quick or use a bench scraper to help you move it along. Pinch seams closed on either end of the log and along the seam lengthwise, and pop any large bubbles that appear.
• Place seam-side down in a greased 9×5” loaf pan. Cover and rise 30–60 minutes, until puffy and almost doubled. It should just reach the top of the pan.
• Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Bake 30–35 minutes, rotating halfway, until golden on top and hollow-sounding when tapped.
• Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing. View notes on storage below.